Prior SARS-CoV-2 infection enhances and reshapes spike protein-specific memory induced by vaccination

• Published in: Science translational medicine Vol. 15; no. 687; p. eade0550
• Main Authors: Barateau, Véronique, Peyrot, Loïc, Saade, Carla, Pozzetto, Bruno, Brengel-Pesce, Karen, Elsensohn, Mad-Hélénie, Allatif, Omran, Guibert, Nicolas, Compagnon, Christelle, Mariano, Natacha, Chaix, Julie, Djebali, Sophia, Fassier, Jean-Baptiste, Lina, Bruno, Lefsihane, Katia, Espi, Maxime, Thaunat, Olivier, Marvel, Jacqueline, Rosa-Calatrava, Manuel, Pizzorno, Andres, Maucort-Boulch, Delphine, Henaff, Laetitia, Saadatian-Elahi, Mitra, Vanhems, Philippe, Paul, Stéphane, Walzer, Thierry, Trouillet-Assant, Sophie, Defrance, Thierry
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 15-03-2023
• Subjects: Antibodies; Antibodies, Neutralizing; Antibodies, Viral; COVID-19 - prevention & control; Humans; SARS-CoV-2; Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus; Vaccination
• ISSN: 1946-6242
• DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.ade0550

The diversity of vaccination modalities and infection history are both variables that have an impact on the immune memory of individuals vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. To gain more accurate knowledge of how these parameters imprint on immune memory, we conducted a long-term follow-up of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-specific immune memory in unvaccinated and vaccinated COVID-19 convalescent individuals as well as in infection-naïve vaccinated individuals. Here, we report that individuals from the convalescent vaccinated (hybrid immunity) group have the highest concentrations of spike protein-specific antibodies at 6 months after vaccination. As compared with infection-naïve vaccinated individuals, they also display increased frequencies of an atypical mucosa-targeted memory B cell subset. These individuals also exhibited enhanced T
1 polarization of their SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-specific follicular T helper cell pool. Together, our data suggest that prior SARS-CoV-2 infection increases the titers of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-specific antibody responses elicited by subsequent vaccination and induces modifications in the composition of the spike protein-specific memory B cell pool that are compatible with enhanced functional protection at mucosal sites.